A. New Music Gathering is a three day event combining concerts, discussions, and presentations about the world of new music, or, more specifically, people creating new music based roughly in the classical music tradition. It's happening at Boston Conservatory, May 17-19, 2018.

Q. Ok, but how is NMG different from other music conferences?

A. We’re trying to take our favorite aspects of a conference - the meeting of minds, the fruitful discussions, the engagement with contemporary issues - and discard our less-favorite aspects - the trade-show atmosphere, the focus on self-promotion, the vendor fair vibe. Ultimately we want it to be a place for music-minded people of all stripes to meet and share ideas.

Q. But am I still encouraged to represent and promote my own organization?

A. Absolutely! We’ll be organizing unique meetings and social events that encourage attendees to share what their orgs are all about and to share their wisdom and experiences with like-minded people.

Q. What will I take away from the New Music Gathering?

A. We hope that people will come away from the NMG with a feeling of having greatly learned from their fellow new music professionals and the satisfaction of having imparted their own wisdom onto others, in a spirit of mutual encouragement, so that they will return to working on their own projects with a new-found sense of excitement and creative vigor.

Also, they’ll have had a kick-ass time seeing a ton of great music and meeting a ton of great people.

Q. Ok, that’s all well and good, but it’s sounding a little wishy-washy artsy fartsy to me. What specifically will the NMG entail?

A. Each of the three days will be organized with a series of presentations and discussions earlier in the day and a concert in the evening. Some of the discussions/presentations will be in one of the larger halls for all attendees to come to and others will be held simultaneously in the smaller halls and rooms with attendees given the choice of which they’d like to attend. Discussions/presentations topics will run gamut of the spectrum of topics affecting new music, with a special focus on this year’s theme.

Q. What is the theme of this year’s New Music Gathering?

A. The theme this year will explore “Accessibility”--anything from enabling new audiences, to providing new professional opportunities, to contemplating ideas of musical language: the quest to tear down barriers and cultivate an active spirit of invitation.

Q: I'm from out of town - do I really have to shell out for an expensive hotel room to be part of this crazy thing?

A: We'll be helping to set up a new music couch/ride sharing group on Facebook. Stay tuned for updates on how we can make your visit more affordable and friendly!